Formulas and Functions with Microsoft® Excel 2003

2. Using Range Names

IN THIS CHAPTER

Defining a Range Name

Working with Range Names

Range Names and the Reference Operators

Although ranges enable you to work efficiently with large groups of cells, there are some disadvantages to using range coordinates:

• You can’t work with more than one set of range coordinates at a time. Each time you want to use a range, you have to redefine its coordinates.
• Range notation is not intuitive. To know what a formula such as =SUM(E6:E10) is adding, you have to look at the range itself.
• A slight mistake in defining the range coordinates can lead to disastrous results, especially when you’re erasing a range.

You can overcome these problems by using range names, which are labels applied to a single cell or to ...